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Friday, 10 May 2019

The Royals Join Forces To Launch Shout! & A Special Message From Meghan

Fresh from meeting adorable Archie yesterday, there was another royal surprise in store tonight. Kensington Palace launched a new initiative spearhead by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Since last year, the foursome have been working on Shout, a new text messaging line that supports people in crisis. To mark the news, the Palace shared several photographs of Harry and Meghan from a private engagement they undertook in support of the next chapter of Heads Together. The event took place last November, at the Mental Health Innovation volunteers’ workshop at BBC Studioworks, the couple attended.

The Palace revealed: "Shout operates 24/7 and connects people in need to trained volunteers who provide help at a time when it is most needed; enabling them to move from a moment of crisis to a calm state and form a plan for next steps to find longer-term support. As texting is private and silent, it opens up a whole new way to find help. It provides instant support - you can have a conversation at any time – at school, at home, on the bus, anywhere. This service is for everyone, but for younger people especially, texting is a trusted and familiar form of communication, and using text rather than apps makes it simple and accessible for everyone with a phone. Shout is powered by a team of volunteers who are at the heart of the service. They are trained to create a safe space for people experiencing mental health challenges. The programme is unique with the training and volunteering all done online, under the supervision of qualified clinicians. Working remotely, volunteers are part of a supportive and connected online community of 1,000, with the ambition of boosting that community to 4,000 by the end of the year."

In a video message, Prince William launched an appeal for people to apply as volunteers. William said: "At the heart of this service will be an incredible national volunteer community, one which needs to grow to allow us to support more people in crisis. We hope that many more of you will join us and be part of something very special." He added: "Harry, Meghan, Catherine and I have been able to see the service working up close, and are very excited for its future."

The video includes several clips from Harry and Meghan's November engagement.

The Royal Foundation contacted Crisis Text Line in the US to begin the process of bringing their successful model to the UK. The service has been operating in the United States for six years and has processed over 100 million text messages.

Its founder CEO Nancy Lublin was heavily involved in the creation of Shout and sits on the board. Ms Lublin said: "We are proud of the work Crisis Text Line and our Crisis Counselors has done in the United States to ease the pain of Americans. If other world leaders will follow the lead of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, together, we can end this epidemic of emotional crisis."

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex said:

"We are incredibly excited to be launching this service, knowing it has the potential to reach thousands of vulnerable people every day. Over the last few months Shout has started working quietly behind the scenes. We have all been able to see the service working up close and are so excited for its future.

“At the heart of this service will be an incredible national volunteer community, one which needs to grow to allow us to support more people in crisis. We hope that many more of you will join us and be part of something very special."

More from Sussex Royal: "Earlier last year, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex began supporting this vital program behind the scenes by hosting a meeting at Kensington Palace with contributors and partners. Last November, Their Royal Highnesses also made a surprise visit to meet with a group of Shout volunteers, and participated in a panel, hosted by Bryony Gordon."

Many of you will recall Harry opened up to Bryony, as part of Heads Together, about his own struggles following the death of his mother and how it impacted his life.

Shout will serve as a lasting legacy to the Heads Together campaign. Launched in 2016 by William, Kate and Harry, Heads Together was driven by their desire to de-stigmatise mental health and start conversations all over the world. Following a year-long campaign, YouGov noted a significant change in the public’s approach to mental health. 83% of people surveyed said they had spoken about their mental health. I've been excited to see its continuation and Shout is a fantastic next step.

It is the biggest initiative of the Royal Foundation to date, with a £3 million investment. Lorraine Heggessey, CEO of The Royal Foundation said: “Our unique model and the influence of Their Royal Highnesses has enabled us to develop this innovative solution to tackle one of today’s biggest challenges – the increasing number of people needing mental health support. The pilot stages have demonstrated the huge need for this service and the potential impact it can have. We wish all the volunteers and everyone in the Shout team every success as they build this pioneering project.”

Anyone wishing to contact the support line can do so by texting Shout to 85258.

The Duchess chose a gorgeous outfit for the event, featuring a black coat with a purple floral print, a black top and leather trousers.

To find out more about Shout please click here. I understand the launch event took place at Kensington Palace earlier today (Thursday) and was attended by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. I expect photos and video will likely be released tomorrow. I'll be covering that over on Duchess Kate.

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The Duchess recorded a video message for Camfed's Education Changes Everything gala in New York, which took place earlier this evening. In her role as vice-president of the Queen's Commonwealth Trust, the Duchess said: "A girl who is educated becomes a woman who is influential". Annie Lennox, who joined the Duchess on International Women's Day for a panel was honoured. I expect Meghan's piece was filmed very recently. I'll add a full video should one become available.

Meanwhile, it was back to work for Prince Harry today, as he travelled to The Hague for the launch of Invictus 2020. During his speech, Harry said: "It is your resilience, your determination and your courage which draw crowds in their thousands. Leaving them feeling more inspired, moved and proud than they ever thought possible. You have already proved - anything is possible. Make these games your own. We chose you for a reason. And it wasn’t just because I like the colour orange! Thank you all for guarding the Invictus Spirit and see you in 2020."

A very touching moment when Harry was reunited with Daimy, whose father competed in the games in Orlando in 2016.

If the new father was exhausted he certainly didn't show it. When asked if Archie will be joining him and Meghan at the games next year he said he couldn't say yet. I'm guessing there's a very good chance we'll see the trio there. As you can imagine, one photo dominated the front pages.

A video from the launch.

And finally, something you will all love! Disney created a gorgeous Winnie The Pooh animation to mark the arrival of Archie. The attention to detail is just fabulous, especially the Long Walk at Windsor.

92 comments:

Dear CharlotteYou are an amazing, intrepid reporter!Love this hard working couple and their adorable Archie!What a wealth of positive news!Thank you for sharing the love.(Hope my comment doesn’t disappear this time.)RG

The new SHOUT initiative will be an extremely constructive addition to the Heads Together campaign in my opinion. The ability to shout in silence to a willing educated ear will enable many to attain understanding and calm when most needed. I believe this initiative will grow to be one of the strongest and most successful programs incorporated into the young royals umbrella of mental health programs. The launch of this program is very exciting during a week already filled with great joy.

Wow that is an effective initiative, coming from the US, nice one Meghan. Lots of people think, the mobile phone is stuck to their hands, why not taking an advantage of it? I read lots complaints how HT became bland and I agreed wholeheartedly, now this can give it a nice push. Hardy wait to hear more of it.

Shout sounds like a great legacy project of Heads Together. And it is perfect fit for the royals. Not only are the Foundation able to make an significant investment, but the royals have the ability to use their popularity to activate volunteers, which is at the heart of the project.

Rachel, I agree. This is a great initiative! I'm happy to know that the efforts of Heads Together are going forward. I hope there will be a lot of volunteers wanting to share in the project.I enjoyed watching all the videos, William's launch as well as Harry's speech in Hague. The little onesie (what's the British word for it?) for Archie is so cute! 😀 And the Winnie the Pooh animation too.

It is so exciting to see this new mental health initiative for Heads Together. I had always hoped the US and UK could partner together for something similar to this. As a longterm volunteer for the Crisis Textline in the US, I can speak to and affirm just how important "Shout" is going to be in the UK. Ever since Heads Together was formed, I have been percolating with ideas about how the UK and US could collaborate on mental health initiatives and this was one I had considered. I would love to have a conversation with both couples about the work they are doing and what future ideas they have. I know that will never happen, but if I could put it on my bucket list I would. I am so grateful they have begun "Shout" and I know it will be incredibly helpful for those living with mental health challenges and mental health crises in the UK (just as it is in the US).

Interestingly it seems like no photos or video footage of the lauch will be released. That is now except for the promotional stuff. It is obviously a decision with a specific goal on mind, I wonder what that goal is? Maybe to highlight the fact that Shout is textbased and anonymous? Or do they want to force the media to use the promotional stuff especially the video clip? Or just to put the focus on the project and not on who wore this and did that?

Just when one thinks there's nothing else to comment on, all of this! Really nice to see them join together for such an important project! This should be a life-saver for many people. Great timing, I think, while you have everyone's attention over Archie. (Thought it was sweet for William to mention Harry and Meghan before himself and Kate.)

Loved Pooh bear; he was my main read when I was very young. I guess Tigger was my favorite -- now I have tons of cats!

Thank you Charlotte for all your hard work; it looks like multiple postings will be the future for these four.

I loved Tigger for his rambunctious enthusiasm. In fact, I ended up with a tiny tiger-striped kitten ( thanks to my son) who grew into a Tigger of my own. Despite this, E ore was my heart's favorite. I read those stories almost nightly to my girls-complete with voices.That Winnie cartoon was so sweet. (I used to see Harry as a bit of an E ore/Tigger combo. I think Meghan may serve as his Christopher Robin... "silly old bear.." )

Oh 2050, you really get Winnie the Pooh and his friends, I love what you just wrote!This was a great and heartwarming post, thank you Charlotte. I wonder if there will be anything like Shout in Australia, I would be interested.

RW, I never could get into Alice in Wonderland. The Pooh stories and Wind in the Willows offered such sweetness and kindness intermixed with very human-like feelings and activity without the preachiness of stories based on good little boys and girls. I enjoyed Mr. Rogers for the same reason. However, my girls were fascinated by Mr. Green Jeans on Captain Kangaroo.

Wind in the willows was also good. Original Pooh and Beatrix Potter books remain my favourite books! Never could get into Disney’s versions of our classics. I hope Archie gets lots of exposure to quality books 📚 🤗

I don't know if you had the chance to read the post, but I stated I would be posting on DKB today once I had the opportunity to ask one of the reporters if images and video will be released from yesterday's launch. I asked Victoria Murphy and she told me it was a private event, and we won't see any footage for the time being, so I'll be doing a general write-up. This is an incredibly busy month for me personally, and I'm trying to write posts as quickly as I can.

For those leaving comments, and generally being quite nasty and snarky regarding blog coverage, I would kindly ask you to remember these blogs are not my first priority. I give them both equal attention and always focus on the work first. I'm not a journalist, nor running a media outlet; blogging is not my primary priority by any stretch of the imagination. So, leaving insulting and snide remarks or using Shout to air grievances against one couple is not permitted here. The effort was led by all four of them, they all worked hard on this, and as far as I'm concerned that's the end of the matter. It's desperately sad people cannot come together and be proud of this new project and the invaluable assistance it's going to provide every day.

If your comments under this post have not been published, please read this message. You are wasting your time and energy, because I'm not going to publish your comments or engage with you. I have absolutely no desire to deal with that level of negativity nor will I be attacked into altering my choice of post content on either blog.

Let's keep the focus where it should be, Shout is excellent work by William, Kate, Harry and Meghan.

Dear Charlotte - Please continue to ignore the trolls and people making your life/blog miserable. You are a lovely, generous, talented writer (and, I'm sure, person, IRL). You do a phenomenal job with this blog and I - and so many others - appreciate you. xox

Charlotte, I formally apologize to you for all who have given you cause for anguish. Please know that you are greatly appreciated and very much part of our daily lives. Thank you for single handedly creating an amazing community through both your blogs of royal followers who are educated, engaged and most grateful to you.You represent the very best which lies in each of us in our desire to follow history through the young royals.

I understand the confusion about a KP released item being featured and presented first here; however, it had to be released first somewhere. If on the DK site first, Charlotte would have heard from the MAM supporters. The other alternative was to complete stories for both and release simultaneously. But then, we would have had to wait longer for the news.I have to remind myself that at least two popular royal blogs have suspended comments in the past months. For me, that leaves only this forum, Charlotte's blogs, on which to share my thoughts and feelings about the young royals.If we lose this, I will not look for another site.There is a core of commenters that has grown in number and, I think, in overall quality and depth of comments over the years. From time to time there have been visitors who apparently are not invested in this particular forum and come here with an agenda. The fact that internet communication in general has taken an increasingly more biased, intolerant turn has spilled over onto this site.My daily concern is that Charlotte will reach the end of her resources and close these comments, if not both blogs. What a loss that would be.

I realise some of us would like perfect equity but that is not how the world works. As Charlotte points out, this is a private endeavour.

I hope this sentence does not get my comment deleted: our moderator is human and has personal feelings and preferences, as do we all. If sometimes we see evidence of this, we need to remember that and give her the kindness and consideration we require for our particular favorite.We are, afterall, the visitors here. It is her house, so to speak. Let's try to be respectful, considerate guests. Let's not destroy the house that shelters us.

How could anyone find something negative about this great news? The four of them working together for a great cause! Thanks, Charlotte for this great blog and putting up with us! And thanks to all the readers and their comments.

I find it so rude to just blurt out "Where's this or that?" Charlotte does all this in her FREE time and I doubt she had a lot of that during the past week which has been so busy. I can only imagine how much time writing these excellent, well-researched pieces must take. I come as a regular reader to both blogs and I see nothing but balance and fairness in the posts. Well done, Charlotte, and thank you so much!! 💐

I am shocked that you are receiving negativity. Seems the way of the world when one focuses on themselves. I think I am among many who are amazed at what a wonderful job you are doing, Charlotte, and dont know how you are even keeping us up to date with these two couples let alone the extremely in depth articles you have given us. I have been so surprised at all the details and background info you post. It is so informative! I have been wondering how you are able to do this much. I did notice the other day that one post wasn't updated immediately but knew you were writing on both blogs that day. What I thought was that something came up for you or that you were in process of writing it. When I saw the long posts I thought you must have spent hours researching& writing such wonderful posts. Thank you so much for all you do here! Please keep doing what you are doing. And I really appreciate you screening out the nasty comments. I'm sorry some are directed at you and cant even imagine anyone doing that. As if they have any rights to demand you do anything. So preposterous. This blog is a privilege not a right. We are not your boss so therefore no one should tell you you are doing anything wrong. You follow these royals and write about it and we have the privilege of reading what you choose to write. To all those who don't like something here, go away. No one is making you click on this page. As someone recently posted, if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all. Basic manners folks! The only thing we need ever to tell Charlotte is a great big THANK YOU!!

What a nice newsy post, Charlotte! Thank you! I enjoyed reading the post watching all the clips. Nice to see Shout implemented. I recall Kate collaborating with Michelle Obama a few years about something relating to mental health. Harry brings his usual energy to Invictus. I have a question about Meghan's recording. I wonder when it was taped. I don't think she is pregnant yet. Is it an old recording?

Adding this just because it's a positive comment! Was looking at coverage of C&C's visit to Germany and the little gifts they were receiving. Then I saw Camilla in a white evening dress with little blue designs and lots of diamonds and she looked just terrific!!! It was a really beautiful dress, and I know this is about M(&H) but I liked seeing her look good.

Lots of lovely news. One quick comment on the animation I do not believe it is created by Disney, but was done by someone using a "Winnie the Pooh" Disney look bear. I could be wrong but I could not find any Disney marks on the video.

Here's what Omid Scobie wrote about it: "To celebrate the birth of Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, @Disney have created a special Winnie-the-Pooh animation as a gift for Harry and Meghan. The short was hand-painted in watercolour by Disney’s senior principal artist Kim Raymond. Really special"

So perhaps it was done by the "senior principal artist" and not "the company"...but was done with the company's permission since Pooh was used?

It's amusing to me that there is all of this noise and commentary about what these four do wrong, and yet, they seemed unbothered and undeterred. They just continue to work hard for those that need a helping hand. I am so impressed with their commitment to the causes that are important to them--tuning out the haters and critics. Are they perfect? By no means, and yet they could easily choose a quiet life of luxury. The fact that they use their platform for good is inspiring. What if the critics did the same?

And I meant to also thank you Charlotte, for your professional work. You are doing your part to keep things positive and focused on the good works. I appreciate Meghan's style and am interested in her fashion choices too. But what I enjoy most about your site is the focus you put on the her words and deeds.

Charlotte, I'm gobsmacked at what you've been having to deal with. You can at least count me as one who is in awe & appreciation for all you do! #Blessings #Respect I hope somehow things get easier for you. I would hate, at some point for you to have to step away to gain some sanity! Anyone who reads either of your blogs, should say nothing to you other than Thank You!! #Peace xx

What an amazing effort both couples have made to make Shout a reality! It's a wonderful, concrete way to cement the Heads Together campaign and prolong its legacy. It's also a nice tie between the US and UK. I just love this and hope it is effective for many in need. Thanks for the coverage, Charlotte!

Very well said, I love poppies @ 16:33. Thank you, Charlotte for posting this new info on SHOUT. I enjoyed the entire post. Your integrity and professionalism are appreciated. Enjoy your day and weekend. Great job!!!

Dear Charlotte, I have been so grateful for your coverage of the exciting birth of Master Archie and his wonderful Mum and Dad, his Grandmother, and his Great Grandparents, etc, yet I didn't feel the need to comment. Hearing that you have been criticized for any part of your altruistic coverage prompts me to voice my support and gratitude for your generosity toward all of us. I am saddened to know that the negativity toward the royals has extended to you. Please know how very much you and your work here are appreciated by so many of us. Thank you for keeping this an informative and positive place to look for coverage of Meghan, Harry, and their joint efforts with the Cambridges. You are simply the best. Please know that I, and I'm sure many others, appreciate your every post, even when we don't comment.

Thank you for voicing my thoughts. I am actually an admirer of the Queen, and therefore the young royals interest me. I enjoy these two blogs for the sense of history they convey and lack of sycophancy.

Ok I loved that pooh bear video! and im not so advanced and not on facebook, and maybe this is a dumb question, but that is not really meghan herself posting things as the duchess of sussex on facebook, right?? such cute pictures of harry with the onsie:) and I actually really like that black coat with the blue flowers the DoS was wearing, hope to see it again. hope everyday is great for them, must be kind of a lovely glowy haze at this point:)

you do such a great job charlotte, keep ignoring the trolls! thank you for all you do!!

Thank you for your understanding. I know the entire royal blogging community is struggling to deal with this onslaught of negativity. As a blogger who chooses to cover both Kate and Meghan, it can often feel like you're at the epicentre of an unimaginable amount of ugliness. I know the main battle for me, and several other bloggers, has been ensuring the cesspool which has developed on social media doesn't spill over into the comments sections of the blogs. I can't say I've always got it right in terms of moderating - though I can say I have strived every single day to avoid one woman getting attacked in favour of the other. This poses a challenge each time Meghan or Kate step out, or wear a new outfit; it even extends to their birth plans. There was a time when I felt terrible deleting comments, but it has become a completely necessary daily tool and yes, it has led to a tightening up on both blogs.

It's also important to point out the positive aspects. To those of you who visit here (and many of the same commenters on DKB), and who endeavour to be fair and treat both women with respect, thank you. I see you and appreciate your input.

Dear Charlotte, I can't imagine the difficulty of having to deal with the aptly named "cesspool" (which I've sampled elsewhere,) when it is directed toward you and the wonderful blogs you've created. I hope that the appreciation of your respectful followers can enhance and strengthen your defenses against being tarnished or wounded by the scourge. Please take good care of yourself as you continue to make your positive and much appreciated contribution to our enjoyment and to the work that the Royals do.

The one thing I've always said about you, Charlotte, is that you are fair. I've thought that since my very first days of posting on your blogs and I still do. You might not appreciate some things i and others have had to say over the years but you've not shown favoritism at all. I think you should be proud of that.

you are doing a fantastic job Charlotte. i rarely post but felt it was necessary to counter balance all the horrible people who attack you. keep doing what you are doing and ignore horrible ill mannered people who dont deserve oxygen

I really don't think there is a place for a reader who will not check both sites, meaning that the MAM site makes it very clear that credit is coming to Kate and William. I know how that sounds, because we all have preferences and I am crazed for Meghan and Harry, but any negativity I might ever have for Kate and William is not their doing. If any of the horrible stories worked their way into my subconscious, Charlotte is here with her undivided love for both families to set the record straight. There is so much that goes on behind the public view, like the closeness of W&K with the children and grandchildren of Anne, that we can never assume things. The way Charles and the Queen treat W&K and H&M says to me that there are only good feelings among the four.

I wish you could install a little charge, like that of a dog collar, that would zing people who leave unpleasant comments.

BTW, the name Archie is ever growing in esteem for me. There is a lovely family on the web who had a baby just before our Archie and named him Archie. I believe they are in the UK. The mother is named Diana, and the older daughter seems to have lovely ginger hair!

Charlotte,I follow both your blogs and absolutely adore reading about Meghan, Harry, Catherine, and William. Thank you for all you do in trying to publish the facts. I live in the US and hate to see the fake reporting and hurtful stories that are published about these four. Obviously, these hateful people did not learn growing up that if you don't have something nice to say than don't say anything at all!

I have enjoyed your blogs for sometime Charlotte but haven't posted much. Like a lot of us, I am becoming more aware of the sad fact the comments on both Duchesses accross various media is sinking to new lows.One particular thing I would like to thank you for is your stance against pitting these women against each other. They are different people with different roles and expectations on them, lets celebrate their differences rather than critisise them. It is of particular sadness to me that a lot of the hate and spite is comming from women directed towards women. We should stick together!

So many of the other comments of support for Charlotte here are heartfelt expressions I wholeheartedly support. This one from Irish Rose is but one; however, this is the one at which I decided to click on Reply.

I know what it takes to write a blog even though the one I write does not come with this level of attention or vilification. Bless Charlotte for taking it on two high-profile blogs, doing a superb job of both and not simply setting comments on closed.

How many hours of joy and solace this blog has given me through the illness & death of my father, then followed by my mother, and while I studied for several months in a city where I did not know the language or a single soul, as well as numerous other life-challenges over the years since this blog and DK starte. All because Charlotte created a platform and invited all of us to share it with her.

I would happily read you, Charlotte, without comments though I sincerely hope it never comes to that.

Charlotte, it must be so hard to read everything and to know what to post. When someone says "XXX is so elegant," does that mean just that or that the other woman is not? Knowing that YOU care for both equally, and their families, and the RF in general, really sets the tone.

Charlotte I am appalled at the comments you are receiving. This is your home and we are visitors and as such should at the very least be courteous. Please delete whatever you want. I read both your blogs and am enjoying the journey that is the development of both couples lives into their separate viable lives. It has been so interesting. Just in passing I read three other blog / accounts in totally separate areas - small farmer, cooking and knitting and all have had problems with personal attacks and vitriolic comments. It is an ugly feature of the century. As bad or worse than the ugliness of other times. Thank you very much for your wonderful blogs beautifully written and researched which I would read as happily if you decided to go behind a pay wall or commentless.

(Hopefully this isn’t a repeat comment. Airplane WiFi is the worst!)The social media cesspool is real. Sadly, the stans have almost completely destroyed any joy I had in keeping up with what the royals are doing. The two women have never said anything publicly against each other, but the stans have to go out of their way to attack the other woman for absolutely nothing. If it’s exhausting for me to even read comments on the blogs, and it is, I can’t even imagine what Charlotte must go through in moderating them. Yes, some posters have very clear bias for one woman against the other, and it’s clear to see on the comments they leave for both, but as long as we can keep it civil here maybe there’s hope.

Sometimes I think that the BRF should delete their instagram accounts altogether or suspend commenting. Because EVERY post no matter how innocuous eventually turns into a cesspool of Kate vs. Meghan wars, complaints about ____ (fill in the blank with a BRF member) and overall negativity. Constant entitlement -- why don't we get to see this or that. I know Queen Elizabeth likes Instagram and sometimes writes her own post and feels it's a way she can communicate in the public in a less formal way. But people simply cannot behave on those instagram pages and it has to stop.

Just to set the record straight: Archie is half American and was born May 4 at 11:26 PM US Central time. 9:26 PM Pacific time. There is a part of him who will always be a Star Wars child to me. ;)May the Fourth Be With you, baby Archie!

Thank you to the commenters who kindly resisted the temptation to set the record straight by pointing out Archie was actually born a Cinco de Mayo baby per US time. I did so want a Star Wars baby. Maybe a little Princess Leia next time?

Charlotte, your blog is wonderful and so are you. I cannot fathom why trolls try to infiltrate sane, balanced blogs like yours. Why do they not develop their own blog - something like Haters Unite where they can spill their bile as much as they like? The bullying and racism that is around now is incredible. But the folk who comment here are gorgeous. Thank you, and them, for an oasis of calm.

Oh dear. I was on a reader’s high going through the thread and the comments and then.....yikes. You have a great deal of patience Charlotte and graciousness for hosting us on YOUR blog. This is your house.

It’s a lot of work to moderate comments. News media are closing comment section or limiting them to certain articles for this reason. The 24/7 of everything overwhelms me and it’s one big reason why I resist joining FB/ Instagram/Twitter/etc.

I read both blogs when I can and I love the ensuing conversations. I realize it takes great effort, integrity, control and diplomacy to keep both platforms open and respectful. It’s much easier to let loose one’s thoughts online than face to face. It’s as if that old adage about not needing to voice every thought publicly got lost with on-line platforms. It’s also tougher to reel the words back because the internet remembers everything.

So a big shout out to Charlotte (and the many readers here who work hard to keep things civil even when they disagree). I won’t take what Charlotte created for granted.

Just here to say again, Charlotte, that I appreciate BOTH of your blogs, as I appreciate both duchesses and their endeavors/fashion. Thank you for doing what you do to keep "our" little corner/community of the internet an enjoyable place for us regulars, and a place to highlight the GOOD these two beautiful women do!

To the so-called fans out there harassing Charlotte or Meghan/Kate - do you honestly think Meghan or Kate would want their fans behaving in such a way?! They are two kind, respectful, educated women, trying to do a little good with their station. Let's follow their example and be kind!

I love this post and all your hard work Charlotte. The Winnie the Pooh animation is adorableToday I was saddened to see the racism Meghan and Harry’s little baby faced by a member of the BBC Danny Baker. I’m glad the BBC fired him for calling Archie a monkey.As a mixed race woman of the same heritage as Archie I know too well the pain of that. I am glad that these two knowing the racism they were sure to face stayed together and had a gorgeous baby. Things will get worse as he gets older but through love they can conquer any hatred they will face. Even though they are royal and had a mixed race baby sadly this won’t be a magic pill to end racism just like having President Obama in the US didn’t cure but exacerbated racism. However it doesn’t mean anyone should give up the fight. It’s the only way to bring about change by example. They have already brought much inspiration to African Americans and mixed race children with their love and family.This is such a positive piece Charlotte it really uplifted me . The work Meghan and Harry and Catherine and William do for charity and mental health is beautiful.

You're so right that racism hasn't ended, Melissa, by Obama being elected (twice), for example, or Meghan and her mom entering the RF. I wonder if racism has diminished at all. I foolishly thought these events would change people, but what they have done is given validity to the rights of everyone and served as examples for people who thought they had to be stuck behind. It's so beautiful to see a little girl of any color gaze at Meghan and know that she too is worthy of being a duchess. Because there are only a few duchess positions available, I hope that Meghan's incredible friends will encourage girls to be lawyers, business owners, athletes, and authors and to enjoy friends of all backgrounds. To have your best friends be Serena, Markus, Daniel, and Jessica would be my dream come true.

I'm sure that Oprah and Michelle (interesting that we know all these wonderful women by their first names only!) face the same pathetic racism that baby Archie has already faced, but they continue to live their remarkable lives and inspire others.

And I come to Charlotte's blog and her optimism and love really lift my spirits.

Charlotte I have followed both your blogs since the beginning but have never commented before but felt I had to today.I want you to know how much joy you bring to my life by being able to follow your lovely blogs that are always written with fairness and kindness in mind. I think these two beautiful duchesses should be very proud to have someone like you to have in their corner, so to speak.Take care and thank you.

Charlotte, your blogs are, without a doubt, the best place of all to read about both the duchesses. These two sites perform the remarkably adept feat of being up to the moment, accurate, incredibly well written with generous helpings of all the details we gulp up so greedily, and above all, they are intelligent and sympathetic, without being saccharine or gushing. This is already an impressive job to pull off, and it puts you ahead of virtually all the top journalists in the business, even in the best British publications! That would be enough of an incredible achievement to be very proud of, but that you have also been dealing with the "cess pit" all this time, with absolute fairness and even-handedness, tactfully and judiciously, makes you virtually Pulitzer Prize worthy, in my opinion! When I read the comment threads in, say, the Daily Mail (and I can't help it...it's like scratching a wound) I sometimes get physically sick. I'm sure you get plenty of the same stuff. I don't know if it's coming from some sort of organized consortium of trolls, or if there are just a lot of prejudiced people out there who seize the opportunity to sling filth at someone who cannot reply. That you take the high road, and provide a place for us all to have the enormous pleasure of reading about something we love (the royals) in a calm, balanced, un-slanted and rational way, is just a tremendous gift, and I for one am deeply grateful for the real pleasure you give me with every posting.

Thanks Charlotte for another great post. These two couples work so hard and are really making a positive difference in this world. I really don't understand all the criticism. I'm so sorry that you've had to deal with such negativity. Speaking as one person from my little corner of the world, I appreciate all the hard work that clearly goes into each of your interesting and well written posts. I'm pretty clueless about social media overall, yours is the only blog I read, and I look forward to each new post. Again, thanks for all the time and effort you put forth.

Charlotte, I just wanted to express my deep appreciation for running one of the highest quality blogs I’ve ever read, and the absolute best, fairest resource on Meghan. People, Charlotte doesn’t owe us ANYTHING. This is her personal blog that she runs out of her own free will. She’s not a member of the press and has no ethical or journalistic duty to report on people evenly. She doesn’t have to run a Meghan blog or a Kate blog. That being said, you should consider yourselves lucky that Charlotte CHOOSES to report on both of them evenly and runs her blogs extremely fairly and evenhandedly, upholding standards and integrity not commonly seen even among royal reporters. This is a real human being who pours hours into meticulous posts for our enjoyment, not a robot who can churn out simultaneous posts in 5 minutes. I think people need to take a good hard luck at themselves and question why they care more about PR than this very worthy cause actually helping suffering people. I hope you realize that’s a terrible outlook on life and there are more important things in the world.

I was about to write a post defending Charlotte and telling her how much she is appreciated, but Anonymous (May 11 6:41) you said it all! Wonderfully written! To Charlotte: there are so many of us who appreciate all you do, so please don't consider quitting on us because of a few. I, for one, don't know where I'd turn to get fair and honest reporting on the duchesses. Thank you for all you do!

hi charlotte im a regular follower on your blog its been quite a while i cant take it the duchess catherine nor duchess meghan have diffent view but they worked together as i team they are not in a compition or something who are not working on their own they are a team so why we fighting with each other your comments are not angainst each other

This is such a great initiative and I hope it can help many people over the long term.

Charlotte I am sorry you have had to deal with such horrible comments, I just don’t understand some people but please know that the rest of us truly appreciate all you do on both blogs AND the way you do it, always fair, informative and beautifully written.

So happy to hear about the fab four have combined their efforts to this important campaign " Shout". Great idea. Saw the infomercial Prince William produced on YouTube recently what a powerful job he did in his presentation. Glad to hear it's gotten air time and the word is out there.

Charlotte, Keep on keeping on! Your work on these sites is appreciated by so many, including me. Your honesty expressed in your Saturday evening comments allows me to understand the battle you're up against in providing equal coverage and respect.

I think Archie is going to have lots of cousins to play with. I saw a quote today from Mike Tindall, who is always great at telling what's what, talking about all the little kids. He started with Sophie's James as the ringleader and said that there was quite a group so far, Savannah, Ilsa, Mia, Lena, George, Charlotte, Louis, and that Harry loved to play with them all! Sounds like a lot of playdates in the future; I hope Archie doesn't have to travel TOO much. Would just love to see an updated photo with the Queen and all the little ones. Maybe when Lena, Louis, and Archie are just a bit older.

Is he planning to add a third little cousin anytime soon? He and Zara wait well into pregnancy to announce, understandably.I would love to see another "Granny" photo, too. With Prince Phillip included.

Just a brief note from an infrequent poster but faithful reader to express appreciation for all your work,Charlotte, and for the good works of both duchesses (and dukes)! May you and all your families be blessed.

Welcome to Mad About Meghan! We do so look forward to reading your thoughts. Constructive, fair debate is always encouraged. Hateful, derogatory terms and insults are not welcome here. This space focuses on Harry and Meghan, not any other member of the Royal family. It's not the place to discuss politics either. Thank you for reading, we look forward to your comments :)